More Than This
by Lyralocke
Summary: Kataang, oneshot. Peace can make the pain of anything fade.


_Okay, so this is more of a drabble than a oneshot. But I'm not into labels. So this is one possibility of what could happen after the epic final battle or whatever. I tried to keep it kind of ambiguous in general as to where and when, but whatever. It's just a light-hearted conversation. And I'm also assuming they'll become a couple sometime later in the season, so there's no big buildup or anything. They're just being coupley._

_I got the idea for this from the song MORE THAN THIS by Vanessa Carlton, but I don't like songfics so I just kind of wove the lyrics in here and there. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the song More Than This_

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Katara smiled contentedly into the campfire. Aang was beside her, a nearly identical grin on his face. The two of them were alone in a forest on the lower slopes of the dormant volcano that housed the grand palace of the Fire Nation. Night had fallen hours ago, but the two of them remained awake.

It occurred to Katara that she hadn't felt this at peace in many years. A circle of stones held the campfire like a cradle of light, casting flickering shadows about the clearing. The only sound reaching her ears were the crickets calling out to the moonlight.

"This is the first time the world has been like this since before you were frozen," she said quietly.

Aang glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"The war started right after you were frozen," Katara continued. "And it lasted all these years. But now, it's finally over. This is the first time in a hundred years that there hasn't been a war going on."

Aang smiled. "Yeah… you're right," he sighed comfortably.

"You did that, Aang," Katara added, smiling fondly at him.

"We did it," he corrected. She laughed lightly, and he used her momentary distraction to lean forward and steal a kiss. She wasn't exactly surprised, but she enjoyed it either way. He grinned in a rather self-satisfied way, and she laughed again.

"I'll never need more than this," she said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

Katara smiled at him. "You and me, like this," she glanced around them. "I could have just this for the rest of my life, and I'd be happy."

Aang smiled, but Katara could feel there was something he wasn't telling her. She didn't need to say it, she just looked at him, tilting her head a little. He sighed.

"I wish I could say the same thing," he admitted. "But… I've done what I was meant to do… but my people are still gone. I felt like… I don't know… defeating the Fire Lord would somehow bring me closer to them again."

Katara moved closer to his side. "We all share the pain of our histories," she began softly, taking his hand. "I used to have this aching feeling in my chest all the time after I lost my mother. But the ache goes away."

"It does?" Aang asked doubtfully, glancing at her.

She smiled. "It does," she confirmed. "Don't you feel it? Especially tonight, under the stars. It's peace, Aang. Peace can make the pain of anything fade."

He looked up for a moment, the silver starlight above him. She glanced around the clearing again. The trees grew thick here. It was hard to see very far. But she liked it. It kept the world out, leaving just the two of them. He smiled after several moments.

"You're right," he looked at her, a look that she had come to identify as loving. "I'll never need more than this."

She smiled and leaned in, kissing his cheek. He wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer to his side.

"So this peace," Aang began, grinning. "Where does it leave us?"

"Well, that depends," Katara said thoughtfully. "There's so much to be."

Aang nodded. "We kind of skipped through our childhood, so maybe we just need some time to be young," he suggested quietly. "I mean… time won't stop for us to be kids, so we'll have to do it ourselves."

Katara smiled in contentment. "Now that all of the soldiers are going home, we don't have to save the world anymore," she sighed. "We aren't the only heroes. We can live our own lives now."

"I know how you feel," Aang said quietly. "Ever since I learned I was the Avatar, I feel like I've been living someone else's life. Like… I'm part of someone else's story, you know?"

Katara got to her feet suddenly, pulling Aang up beside her. She smiled, eyes sparking with excitement, and took both of his hands in hers.

"This is our chance," she whispered, grinning. "This is our chance to stop living someone else's life. We can go out and be just us, to remember all the things we did and saw and loved before we had to be heroes." She turned and spread her arms wide, staring up at the stars. "Let's make this our story."

"Our story," Aang repeated with a smile. She nodded. He laughed and caught her around the waist, lifting her off the ground and spinning in a circle. Their laughter rang through the quiet forest. He finally set her down, and she rested her head on his shoulder, waiting for her giggling to stop.

"Let's live in this amazing new place we've created," she sighed. "And let's live it right, because time doesn't evens top for the Avatar."

Aang smiled, settling back on the ground by the fire. He lied back on the grass and she did the same, still resting her head on his shoulder. The stars were disappearing, giving way to a dusty morning sky.

"Our story," he sighed again. "I like the sound of it. Let's make this our story."

Katara closed her eyes, still smiling. "I'll never need more than this."


End file.
